Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Cokie Roberts intro report on Congressional hearings following the not guilty by reason of insanity verdict in John Hinckley s trial for shooting President Reagan (assassination attempt). Hearings on reforms on insanity defense part of a play to be "Tough on Crime before the elections.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Senator Arlen Specter (R - Pennsylvania), opening hearing, This hearing has been convened promptly because of the public concern engendered by the acquittal of Mr. Hinckley. The American public has raised the questions appropriately as to whether the criminal justice system can deal with violent crime and whether or not the legal technicalities weigh too heavily in favor of defendants.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Senator Howell Heflin (D - Alabama), There has been a miscarriage of justice. There is a need for a change of law, but I think it has to be done very carefully and from a studious point of view. Wide shots of hearing.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
At Senate Hearing about changes in insanity defense rules; shot of witness table with half-dozen jurors from the John Hinckley trial, all African American men and women. Nathalia Brown, juror on the Hinckley trial, testifying, They lay this in our laps. And the people are looking down on the jurors. They don t realize what it means to be a juror on this type of case. They don t know the different pressures of being away from your family. They sit and tell us, Hinckley - he s locked up playing ping pong, what a good basketball player he is. Here we are incarcerated by justice trying to figure out what his outcome going to be - those pressures.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Senator Joe Biden (D - Delaware), Quite frankly I find this an extremely unusual hearing. I ve been in the Senate almost 10 years and practiced law before that and was one of those trial lawyers that stood before juries like part of the jury in front of us. And I ve never thought that I would be a position where we would be dissecting a case with the jurors, after the fact before a Senate Committee. Although the jurors may very well act in a way that is responsible in terms of what questions they decide to answer and not to answer, I hope that as this hearing continues, we Senator will act responsible as attorneys and know what to ask and what not to ask.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Various shots around Senate Hearing about changes in insanity defense rules. Voiceover states most Senators exercised little restraint in the hearings. Shots of jurors from the John Hinckley trial sitting a table in front of the Committee. Senator Howell Heflin (D - Alabama), Let me ask each of you this, if the President had been killed, would your verdict have been different? One by one, each juror answers. Man juror, I really don t think it would be any different. Man juror, I don t think so either. Man juror, If I thought the man was really insane, I don t think it would have been any different. Maryland Copelin, Hinckley juror, I - couldn t come up with any other answer only because - wait a minute now. I was undecided in the beginning. But if you had that thing worded differently I think that would help everything out. It s a puzzle. Senator Howell Heflin (D - Alabama), In other words, if you had had another alternate choice, than it could - Maryland Copelin, Hinckley juror, Correct. Now if I had had another choice, in fact if we all had had another choice, it would have been different now. It wouldn t have been this way. Everyone knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was guilty for what he did, but we had that mental problem to deal with. We just couldn t shut that out. Senator Howell Heflin (D - Alabama), As we told you in the beginning, you don t have to answer any question and nobody s trying to influence you. But I did ask the question - you may prefer not to answer the question - if the President had died as to whether or not your verdict would have been different. Maryland Copelin, Hinckley juror, It would have been the same, I guess. Nathalia Brown, juror on the Hinckley trial, Well, by me not following my mind or sticking by my guns, I guess it still would have been the same, because I didn t stick by it anyway.
Lawmakers - June 24, 1982 - Insanity Defense Debate
Cokie Roberts in studio - after the hearings, the Hinckley jurors may finally get to put the ordeal behind them.